Deadly outbreak traced to local cheeses

March 11--Health officials said Friday that no new cases were reported in a deadly multi-state listeria outbreak that has been tied to the nationally recalled product of a Walton cheese manufacturer.

No cases are reported in this area, officials said. But two people have died and four others were hospitalized from an outbreak caused by listeria monocytogenes since Sept. 1 that has been linked to certain brands of soft cheese produced with raw milk by the Vulto Creamery in Walton, according to the Centers for Disease Control website.

Someone at the creamery who answered the phone Friday said he was too busy dealing with the recall and declined to comment further

According to the CDC website, as a result of the link to listeriosis, on March 7 the creamery recalled all lots of its Ouleout, Miranda, Heinennellie, and Willowemoc soft wash-rind raw milk cheeses. The soft raw milk cheeses were distributed nationwide, with most being sold at retail locations in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, California, Chicago, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., according to the CDC.

The CDC recommended that consumers do not eat, restaurants do not serve, and retailers do not sell the recalled soft raw milk product. This investigation is ongoing, and updates will be provided when more information is available, the agency said.

The state department of Agriculture and Markets assisted the federal Food and Drug Administration, which is the lead agency in the investigation, according to a spokeswoman with the state agency. At this time, the company has ceased production while the investigation continues, Lisa Koumjian said.

According to the CDC website, two people -- one in Connecticut and one in Vermont -- died from the illness. There were three cases of infection reported in the Manhattan area, and one in Florida of someone who ate the soft cheese in New York, it said.

This strain of listeria bacterium is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC website. Other people can be infected, but they rarely become seriously ill.

The symptoms of the most common form of listeriosis depends on whether the person is pregnant, according to the CDC:

Pregnant women typically experience only fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.

In others it includes: headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle aches.

An epidemiologist with Delaware County Public Health, Nicole Blanchard, said listeria is something that is found in nature and the related illness is very often related to unpasteurized foods.

Vulto is a low-volume producer of high-end cheese, she said. This type of operation is regulated by federal and state agencies that require certain guidelines to prevent such an outbreak from happening, she said.

"It's very rare to see," Blanchard noted.

The easiest way to avoid this type of illness is to eat pasteurized dairy products, she said. Pasteurization kills this and other possible sources of illness. She hasn't heard of any listeria outbreaks in this area in the past two years.

The incubation period for listeria is three to 70 days, she said. Symptoms usually develop within one month, but can take longer.

People who might have such symptoms should contact their health care provider as soon as possible, Blanchard noted.

Mark Boshnack can be reached at mboshnack@thedailystar.com or (607) 432-1000 ext. 218. Also follow him at Twitter at @DS_MarkB

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